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NARAL Pro-Choice Washington is the leading grassroots pro-choice advocacy organization in Washington state, and we believe that every woman should be able to make personal decisions about the full range of reproductive health options. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington works to protect every woman’s right to access the full range of reproductive health options, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington is the state affiliate of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

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Posted by Social Media Intern Michelle Auster

If the first article wasn’t compelling enough, here is another great and persuasive argument in support of paid family leave, from Forbes Magazine nonetheless. What’s interesting about the Forbes piece is the way it frames paid maternity leave — the article is geared towads “card-carrying capitalists,” and argues for paid maternity leave as a form of investment and a smart business practice, not as a financial burden or a waste of money.

What I learned reinforced my long-held belief that every card-carrying capitalist should support paid family leave public policy because:

Paid family leave acknowledges and addresses a reality that directly impacts every business and, therefore, should be planned for strategically, uniformly and deliberately;

Paid family leave is NOT a tax, but income replacement insurance program funded by employees at minimal cost and

We are paying for a cost for caregiving already, albeit indirectly and inefficiently.

In an ideal world, providing paid family leave would be a no-brainer. It is not losing out, it is helping employees feel more secure upon returning to work. The U.S. is lacking in this area. Ultimately this boils down to planning for our future, and if we want it to be a successful one, we should start by providing this simple service already in practice in many other countries.